Alexander jay wurts



(No Model) A. J. WURTS. LIGHTNING ARRBSTER.

Patented Jan. 8, 1895 [1v VEN TOR.

TTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER JAY wUETs,- or PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNoE To THEWESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND M NUEAoTUEINe COMPANY, OF

SAME PLACE.

LlGHTNING-ARRESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 532,354, dated January8, 1895. Application filed August 3,1894. Serial No.619,415. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALExANDEE JAY Wears, a citizen of the United States,residing in Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented anew and useful Improvement inLightning-Arresters, (Case No. 608,) of which the following isaspecification.

My invention relates to that class of devices known as lightningarresters, which are employed in connection with electrical apparatusfor the purpose of preventing injurious effects from the action ofstatic charges accumulated upon the wires of the circuit, and is animprovement upon the invention described and claimed in my Patent No.509,784, dated November 28, 1893. o

The object of my invention is to provide a lightning arrester of theabove-named class which shall be inexpensive in construction andpractically indestructible whatever may be the number or potential ofthe discharges to which it is subjected, and one in which the distancebetween the sparking terminals is very materially reduced without in anydegree impairing the efficiency of the device.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the deviceembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the sparking terminalplate or block, the cover-plate or block being removed; and Fig. 3 is aplan view of the entire device, showing modified forms of cover-plateopenings.

' Referring to the drawings, 1 is the non-con ducting terminal plate orblock in which are embedded the sparking terminals 2, having the usualbinding posts Between these terminals is a block or slab 4 formed ofhard fibrous material, some or all of the fibers of as shown in Fig. 1;but for reasons which will be given more fully hereinafter, I prefer tomake the body of the terminal plate of dry porous wood the grain ofwhich extends in a direction transverse to that of the block 4, and toform a dove-tail connection between the same and the block 4.

6 is the cover-plate, also preferably con- 'structed of dry porous woodthe grain of which extends in a direction transverse to that of theblock 4 and having set into the same a block or slab 7 formed of like orsimilar ma terial to that of which block 4 is constructed, similarlyarranged and united with the coverplate in a like manner. This block 7may be of any desired. dimensions with the exception that its face shallbe wider than the distance between the terminals in order that unduewear by the disruptive discharges may be avoided, and in the form shownin Fig. 1 it is provided with a longitudinal groove 8, directly over thedischarge wedge. So far as the action of the discharge wedge per se isconcerned, it is obvious that the blocks 4 and 6 might be set in platesformed of any sort of insulating material.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a form of cover-plate in which are formed a slot8, and a series of holes 8" extending entirely through the same in lieuof the groove 8 shown in Fig. 1. Presumably, both a slot and a series ofholes would not usually be employed in the same device; but it isobvious that either or both may be used if desired, and that either,when employed, may extend to the edges of the plateor to Within anydesired distance thereof, any form or size of opening above the discharge wedge being within the spirit and scope of my invention. entirecover plate may be made of a single piece of material if desired, but Iprefer the form shown in the drawings. The two plates are preferablyfastened together by means of screws 9, and a layer of glue 10, in orderthat there may be no danger of separation when the device is inoperation.

It is also obvious that the v I have found by experiment that staticdischarges of high potential will tend to separate the plates, and Ihave also found .that it is practically impossible to fasten two piecesof lignum viize together by means of glue, by reason of the fineness ofthe grain and the oily character. of the material, and as this substanceis that best adapted for interposition between the sparking terminals, Ihave devised the structure hereinbefore described and am thus enabled toaccomplish results which have not heretofore been possible.

The most important features of my invention, however, are thearrangement of the material in which the discharge wedge is formed, sothat the ends of the fibers shall be exposed in the path of thedischarge between the sparking terminals, and the provision of anopening in the cover-plate abovethe discharge wedge. By means of theseimprovements I am enabled to reduce the distance between the sparkingterminals to one half that heretofore considered necessary, and toproduce a'device which may be subjected to an almost innumerable numberof discharges Without becoming materiallyimpaired either in structure orefficiency.

\Vhile I have illustrated and described'a preferred form of myinvention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact details thereof,since many variations may be made in the form and arrangement of theseveral parts, without departing from the scope and spirit of myinvention.

hat I claim isp 1. In a lightning arrester, a pair of sparking terminalsand an interposed discharge wedge formed in a body of fibrous materialthe fibers of which extend in a direction transverse to the staticdischarge, substantially as described.

2. In a lightning arrester, a pair of sparking terminals, a nonconducting support therefor, and an interposed discharge wedge formed ina body of fibrous material, the fibers of which extend in a directiontrans verse to the static discharge, substantially as described.

3. In a lightning arrester, a non-conducting plate or block havingsparking terminals embedded therein and an interposed discharge wedgeformed in a block of fine grained hard wood, the fibers of which extendin. a direction transverse to the static discharge, subof fine grainedhard wood the grain of which extends in a direction transverse to itsexposed surface, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a lightning arrester, a plate or block formed of dry, porous woodthegrain of which extends in a direction transverse to its thickness andhaving sparking terminals embedded therein and having an interposeddischarge wedge formed in a body of lignum vitae the grain of whichextends in a direction transverse to its exposed surface, substantiallyas described.

7. A lightning arrester comprising two rigidly connected non conductingplates or blocks one of which is provided with sparking terminals andwith an interposed discharge wedge formed in a body of fine grained,hard wood the grain of which extends in a direction transverse to themeeting surfaces of the two plates or blocks substantially as described.

8. A lightning arrester comprising two connected plates or blocks ofnon-conducting material one of which is provided with sparking terminalsand an interposed discharge wedge formed-in a body of lignum vitae andthe other of which has an opposing lignum vitae block provided with anopening or openings adjacent to said discharge wedge, substantially asdescribed.

9. A lightning arrester comprising two.

plates or blocks of insulating material, the inner face of one beingprovided with sparking terminals and an interposed discharge ICO wedgeformed in a block of fine grained hard wood the grain of which extendsin a direction transverse to the face of the plate, and the other havingan opposing block or slab of similar material the grain of which extendsin the same direction, said plates being glued together and clamped bymeans of screws or equivalent'means, substantially as described.

10. A lightning arrester comprising two rigidly connected plates orblocks of insulating material, the inner face of one being provided withsparking terminals and an interposed discharge wedge formed in a body oflignum vitae the grain of which extends in a direction transverse to itsexposed surface and the other being provided with a grooved strip orblock of like material similarly arranged, each of said blocks having adovetail connection with its supporting plate, substantially asdescribed.

11. A lightning arrester, comprising a plate or block carrying sparkingterminals and an interposed discharge wedge formed in a body of hardfibrous material, the fibers of which extend in a direction transverseto its exposed surface, and a cover plate or block having an opening oropenings adjacent to said discharge wedge, substantially as described.

12. A lightning arrester comprising a pair of sparking terminals, anon-conducting support therefor, an interposed discharge wedge and acover therefor having an opening extending to the surface thereof,substantially In testimony whereof I havehereunto subas described.scribed my name this 28th day of July, A. D. IO

13. A lightning arrester comprising a pair 1894. A

of sparkin terminals -a non-conductin supy 5 port therefbr, a discha rgewedge between said ALEXANDER JAY WURTS' sparking terminals and a. covertherefor hav- Witnesses: ing agroove adjacent thereto, substantiallyJAMES WM. SMITH, as described. HUBERT O. TENER.

